​UPMC Rehabilitation Institute Patient Stories

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Meet Tom

The Challenge

People know Tom — a 73-year-old Vietnam veteran — for his adventurous, confident attitude and charming blue eyes. In 2015, Tom suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and rushed to the hospital. Facing only a 30 percent chance of survival, Tom’s neurology team, his wife, and their children discussed their options.

The Path to UPMC

After spending 20 days post-surgery in the ICU at UPMC Presbyterian, doctors deemed Tom well enough to start inpatient rehabilitation. Tom arrived at the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute at UPMC Montefiore.

The Solution

Tom had therapy for three hours a day. He worked hard to regain movement on his entire left side, especially his hand and foot. When Tom made enough progress, he moved to a nursing home for transitional rehab before going home

Meet John

The Challenge

John was brought up to always do better and keep trying, no matter what. So when he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in 1986, he kept pushing forward. It wasn’t until he contracted a virus in 2015 that he was incapacitated to a point where he was not able to stand.

“I was dead weight when I arrived there,” John recalled. “I had no strength and it took several guys to lift me. It took a few more days before I was able to walk a total of ten steps. Those same folks saw my progress over the next two weeks and were an important part of my recovery.”

The Solution

John’s therapists, Ellyn and Beth, made arm and shoulder strengthening exercises fun by creating a baseball-like game in which two pound weights were used like a bat to hit a ball. They were very creative in their approach to care and open to John’s input. They asked him how he does things at home and would then build an exercise into their treatment plan so they could help John build up the necessary muscle groups.

The Results

During John’s three week stay at the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute, he did physical and occupational therapy to regain his strength. He was eventually able to get out of his wheelchair and walk with a cane for extended distances. John noted that it was the positive attitude of all the staff members on the unit, from housekeeping to nursing to therapy, that rubbed off on him and helped him feel better sooner.

“It’s not the big things that matter, it’s the small things,” said John. “At one point, I was dying to have my hair washed so even though it was the end of her shift, my nurse Diana took the time to wash my hair. The staff would put necessary items within arm’s reach so I could better help myself. They were very accommodating and always so happy to do something for me. That made all the difference.”

Meet Rose

The Challenge

A Pennsylvania native, Rose, 87, spent most of her adult life in Delaware since she and her husband were in the Coast Guard and both loved to fish. When her husband, and then son (her only child), passed away two years apart, Rose decided to move back to the Pittsburgh area to be near her siblings.

In November 2016, Rose was happily preparing for the Christmas holiday by baking cookies, sewing a festive tablecloth, and decorating her house. As she was putting up her decorations one evening, she decided to go downstairs to take a break. Suddenly she felt very dizzy and fell in the living room. Thankfully, she was able to crawl to a nearby phone and call her friend who rushed over and quickly called an ambulance.

The Path to UPMC

Rose was taken directly to UPMC St. Margaret for care and it was confirmed that she suffered a stroke. She had fallen on her right side so her right arm was very sore, and the stroke affected all motor functions on her right side as well.

“My therapist, Scott, was fantastic,” says Rose. “He really pushed me to see what I can do and to challenge myself. He got me walking with the parallel bars and doing leg lifts. He’s a fisherman as well, so we enjoyed chatting about that.”

The Results

Rose participated in occupational therapy where she practiced writing her name, put small beads in a dish, and placed wooden pegs in holes to work on her dexterity and arm mobility. The stroke also affected her speech, so her therapist had her do various facial expressions and sounds to help improve her verbal skills.

“All of my therapists and doctors were very nice, but they also got right down to business,” says Rose. “They told me what to do and I did it because I wanted to get better so I could go home and finish baking my Christmas cookies.”

“My physical therapist got me off to a really good start so that I was really confident coming out of physical therapy and coming back home, said Ean. “I’m fairly well recovered, and I did significantly better than the neurosurgeons and the doctors thought I would. It was really, I think, the best of a bad experience.”

At the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute, Thomas worked on the basics of getting around in a wheelchair and gaining more strength in his arms with the hope that he’ll be able to drive his new car to work in the future.

“Everybody that I worked with there was always willing to offer any additional help beyond what was required.”

The Results

'In the meantime, Thomas has worked towards continuing his passion of kayaking, which requires upper-body strength and endurance.

Meet Susan

After suffering back and leg pain for much of her life, Susan S. found herself unable to move because of a decompression and fusion in one of her vertebra and had to undergo back surgery.

The Path to UPMC

After surgery, she began intensive inpatient therapy at the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute, where she began to see improvements. “We're all individuals, with individual problems and individual needs, and they meet those needs.”

The Solution

Susan continued her therapy for six weeks at the Rehabilitation Institute’s outpatient partner, UPMC Centers for Rehab Services, and now continues her specialized exercise program at home.

The Results

With the goal of returning to work in the near future, Susan says she feels blessed and remains keenly aware of the professional care she received.

Florence's time spent at the Rehabilitation Institute helped her learn how to walk again, which is a key component of her recovery.

The Results

Now continuing to recover back at home with her family, Florence says she actually misses rehab and spending the time with her physicians. “Everyone was just so kind, and I really loved working with them every day. They were always really good to me. And the morale there is really good, too.”

Despite his concern about the sometimes slow recovery process after a stroke, Paul continues to see improvements, and attributes them to his positive lifestyle.

“From the doctors to the maintenance people, I couldn't have been treated any better, and I was in very bad shape. I couldn't even stand up, and they worked me very hard and were very positive and encouraged me. I have, for the most part, recovered very well now, and I owe it all to UPMC.”

The Results

Today, Paul works as a volunteer on the coaching staff for the Seton Hill basketball team and continues to attend games and be involved with the team.

Meet Chelsi

The Challenge

Whether by e-mail or an in-person appointment, Chelsi remains in contact with her doctor, who specializes in Spina Bifida, because he “really has confidence in what he's talking about, and it makes me feel much more confident in the whole thing.”

With the help, knowledge, and expertise of her doctor, Chelsi competes nationally and internationally in powerlifting competitions. She has traveled to destinations such as Malaysia for the Paralympic World Games, and is planning a trip to Guadalajara to take part in the Parapan American Games.